b. 27 April 1944, Berkeley, California, USA. Pedersen first heard live country music in the late 50s at festivals in and around the Bay Area. A talented multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar and banjo among other instruments, he formed his own band, the Pine Valley Boys, with which he mostly played bluegrass music. Also in the line-up were Butch Waller and David Nelson. This band relocated to Los Angeles for a spell and Pedersen also spent time in Nashville, Tennessee, where he quickly found work playing with various bands in different facets of country music. These included David Grisman’s Smokey Grass Boys and the California-based bluegrass duo, Vern And Ray (Vern Williams and Ray Park), and he was also of sufficient skill and stature to deputise for Earl Scruggs and Doug Dillard in their own bands. Returning to California, Pedersen became a sought-after session musician, playing on numerous recording dates for leading lights in country and rock music: Jackson Browne and John Denver (both of whom he also toured), Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, Gordon Lightfoot, Gram Parsons and Linda Ronstadt. During this period, which spanned the 70s and 80s, Pedersen’s session work extended into composing for several popular television shows, among which were The A-Team, The Dukes Of Hazzard, The Rockford Files and The Simpsons, and also films, including Maverick. He also played with the acclaimed bluegrass ensemble Country Gazette.
In 1986, Pedersen teamed up with Chris Hillman, whom he had first met in 1963, and formed the very successful country rock group, the Desert Rose Band. Although not continuously active, this band remained together into the early 90s, when Pedersen returned to his bluegrass roots by forming the Laurel Canyon Ramblers. He has continued to reunite with Hillman for various sessions, both live and on record, including working effectively with brothers Larry and Tony Rice.
